Effect of Loquat Leaf Extract on Muscle Strength, Muscle Mass, and Muscle Function in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, and Placebo-Controlled Trial
What this study found
Overall, 500 mg/day LLE for 12 weeks did not improve muscle mass, muscle strength, physical performance, or metabolic markers versus placebo in healthy adults. No significant between-group differences were found for knee extension strength, ASM/height^2, ASM/weight, SPPB, 4 m gait speed, or chair-rise outcomes. A right-handgrip benefit was seen only in the female subgroup, where LLE outperformed control (P = 0.047). Safety was acceptable, with no major adverse effects reported in the LLE arm.
- Study & population
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in healthy adults aged 19 to 65 years with BMI 18.5 to 30.0 kg/m^2.
- Intervention
- Participants in the active arm received loquat leaf extract (LLE) 500 mg/day orally for 12 weeks, given as capsules twice daily after breakfast and dinner.
- Key limitation
- The trial was small and short, limiting power to detect modest effects and durability.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Ursolic acid (UA) is the major active component of the loquat leaf extract (LLE) and several previous studies have indicated that UA may have the ability to prevent skeletal muscle atrophy. Therefore, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study to investigate the effects of the LLE on muscle strength, muscle mass, muscle function, and metabolic markers in healthy adults; the safety of the compound was also evaluated. We examined the peak torque/body weight at 60°/s knee extension, handgrip strength, skeletal muscle mass, physical performance, and metabolic parameters at baseline, as well as after 4 and 12 weeks of intervention. Either 500 mg of LLE (50.94 mg of UA) or a placebo was administered to fifty-four healthy adults each day for 12 weeks; no differences in muscle strength, muscle mass, and physical performance were observed between the two groups. However, the right-handgrip strength of female subjects in the LLE group was found to be significantly better than that of subjects in the control group (P = 0.047). Further studies are required to determine the optimal dose and duration of LLE supplementation to confirm the first-stage study results for clinical application. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is NCT02401113.